Maps and Monsters!
Paula Xiberras
For Allison Tait’s latest novel ‘The Mapmaker Chronicles’- ‘Race to the End of the World’ she uses the abbreviated ‘AL Tait’, not because, she tells me, of any desire to hide the fact she is female and her novel is a swashbuckling adventure but simply because she wanted to differentiate this novel from her adult ones.
Alison has fond memories of Tasmania where she spent 12 days on her honeymoon and said it was ‘a beautiful place’ to which she hopes to return, as when she was here last, there were so many ‘wow’ moments to stop and appreciate, there was no time to see everything.
Quinn, the hero of Alison’s novel is a young boy with very special powers, the ability to memorise everything he has ever seen, including any book of language instruction which proves very useful for someone sailing the seas and making connections with foreign speakers. Quinn is also unlike his six older brothers having spent a lot of time with his mum and becoming skilled in more feminine pursuits like needlework.
Quinn’s natural talents in these pursuits and unique skills allow him to be chosen for a very special mission to make a map of the world which in the time set of the novel isas it was in our own early history thought to be flat and largely unknown.
One of the things demonstrated to us is that not knowing things in a micro as well as a macro level about the world makes us scared but knowledge helps us cope with our fears. Of course, occasionally there is a time and place for an expletive and in this case the chosen one is ‘Leif’s boots’!Yes, there is a lot unknown about the world but much of what we fear including sea monsters, as are featured in this novel may not be as scary as they seem once we learn! The novel gives an important message that learning and knowledge are cool!
Another theme of this novel is the strength of women, even though women may have had a connotation as bad luck historically on ships. In this novel we have Ash, a girl who has inherited her mum’s ability with natural healing. We get a little bit of reversal in gender inclination with Ash the girl, the one desirous of adventure while Quinn is happier at home. Alison says the boys in the novel couldn’t do without her! and Ash has become so popular with readers she has her own fan club!
Like many authors Alison can’t say how her story turned out as it did. it seemed to take her subconscious on a journey as much as Quinn himself goes on a journey. I asked Allison what she thought of Morris Gleitzman’s phrase of ‘the magic spaces’ where reader and author meet, the reader taking to the meeting the interpretation relevant to them. How does Allison feel about others interpreting her books in their own way?
Alison mentions something she read on the internet, where an artist’s image of blue curtains was dissected by viewers to mean many different things such as ‘melancholy’. The artist replied to the question of what the blue curtains symbolised saying the curtains’ were just blue!’
As Allison says ‘Whatever is intended the aim of literature is to let our imaginations come to our own conclusion.’
‘The Mapmaker Chronicles’-‘Race to the End of the World’ is out now published by Hachette Australia and look forward to Quinn and co’sfurther adventures in the future.